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Total Categories: 6
The South Carolina Supreme Court serves as the ultimate judicial authority within the state's legal system.
Answer: True
The South Carolina Supreme Court functions as the apex judicial entity within the legal framework of the U.S. state of South Carolina.
The South Carolina Supreme Court comprises seven justices, presided over by a chief justice.
Answer: False
The South Carolina Supreme Court consists of five justices: a chief justice and four associate justices.
What is the structural composition of the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: Five Justices: One Chief Justice and Four Associate Justices.
Quantify the number of Chief Justices who presided over the South Carolina Supreme Court between the years 1930 and 2016.
Answer: 17
The selection mechanism for state court judges in South Carolina predominantly relies on gubernatorial appointment.
Answer: False
South Carolina is distinguished as one of only two states wherein the state legislature elects its state court judges, including those serving on the state supreme court. This method emphasizes legislative selection over direct popular election or gubernatorial appointment.
The Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) possesses the ultimate authority in the selection of candidates for judicial vacancies.
Answer: False
The Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC), a ten-member body predominantly comprising state legislators, evaluates candidates for judicial vacancies, presenting a shortlist of three finalists to the General Assembly for ultimate selection.
A plurality of the members constituting the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) are required to be state legislators.
Answer: True
State statutes mandate that a minimum of six of the ten members of the JMSC must be state legislators.
What is the established procedure for the selection of justices to the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: They are elected by the members of the state legislature.
What specific function does the Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) fulfill within the judicial selection process?
Answer: It interviews candidates and forwards a list of three finalists to the General Assembly.
What is the numerical composition of the JMSC, and what is the requisite minimum legislative representation among its members?
Answer: Ten members, with at least six being legislators.
Justices appointed to the South Carolina Supreme Court are subject to a term limitation of two consecutive ten-year mandates.
Answer: False
Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court are appointed for ten-year terms, and the extant documentation indicates no prohibition against serving successive ten-year terms.
The statutory mandatory retirement age for judicial officers in South Carolina is set at 75 years.
Answer: False
A mandatory retirement age of 72 is stipulated for both state trial judges and state appellate judges within South Carolina.
John W. Kittredge commenced his tenure as Chief Justice on August 1, 2024.
Answer: True
The current Chief Justice is John W. Kittredge, who assumed this role on August 1, 2024.
The incumbent term for Chief Justice John W. Kittredge as a jurist on the court is scheduled for conclusion in the year 2028.
Answer: True
Chief Justice John W. Kittredge's tenure as a jurist on the court is scheduled to conclude in 2028.
Every sitting justice on the South Carolina Supreme Court is an alumnus of Duke University School of Law.
Answer: False
All currently serving justices attended the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Justice John Cannon Few commenced his current term on the court in 2016, with its conclusion slated for 2026.
Answer: True
Justice John Cannon Few commenced his term on January 1, 2016, and his current tenure concludes in 2026.
Justice George C. James initiated his service on the court in February 2017, and his current term is set to conclude in 2030.
Answer: True
Justice George C. James initiated his term on February 7, 2017, and his current tenure concludes in 2030.
Justice D. Garrison Hill holds the distinction of being the most recently appointed justice, having commenced his term in 2023.
Answer: True
Justice D. Garrison Hill commenced his term on February 9, 2023, and his current tenure concludes in 2030.
Justice Letitia H. Verdin commenced her tenure on the court in August 2024, with her term scheduled to conclude in 2034.
Answer: True
Justice Letitia H. Verdin commenced her term on August 1, 2024, and her current tenure concludes in 2034.
What is the prescribed term length for a justice serving on the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: 10 years
What is the statutory mandatory retirement age for state appellate judges within South Carolina?
Answer: 72
Which institution of legal higher education do all currently serving justices on the South Carolina Supreme Court attend?
Answer: University of South Carolina School of Law
In which year is Justice John Cannon Few's current tenure on the court scheduled for conclusion?
Answer: 2026
The South Carolina Supreme Court's purview is exclusively limited to appellate jurisdiction, entailing the review of decisions rendered by subordinate courts.
Answer: False
The South Carolina Supreme Court exercises both original jurisdiction, wherein it may adjudicate cases initially, and appellate jurisdiction, involving the review of decisions from subordinate courts.
The court exercises exclusive appellate jurisdiction concerning matters pertaining to state utility rates.
Answer: True
The court possesses exclusive appellate jurisdiction in cases concerning the death penalty, state utility rates, judgments related to public bonded indebtedness and elections, and orders pertaining to grand juries and abortions by minors.
Within the scope of its original jurisdiction, the court is empowered to issue writs, including injunctions and restraining orders.
Answer: False
Within its original jurisdiction, the court is empowered to issue writs including mandamus, certiorari, and other extraordinary orders.
The South Carolina Supreme Court bears the responsibility for regulating the admission of individuals seeking to practice law within the state's jurisdiction.
Answer: True
The court is responsible for overseeing the admission of individuals to the practice of law within South Carolina.
The South Carolina Supreme Court has effectuated a delegation of its ultimate authority concerning attorney discipline to the South Carolina Bar.
Answer: False
Notwithstanding the delegation of administrative duties, the South Carolina Supreme Court retains ultimate sovereignty over the regulation and governance of legal practice within the state.
The court holds exclusive appellate jurisdiction over cases involving state utility rates.
Answer: True
The court possesses exclusive appellate jurisdiction in cases concerning the death penalty, state utility rates, judgments related to public bonded indebtedness and elections, and orders pertaining to grand juries and abortions by minors.
The court's adopted motto, 'Nil ultra,' is rendered in Latin and signifies 'Nothing beyond.'
Answer: True
The motto of the South Carolina Supreme Court is 'Nil ultra,' a Latin phrase translating to 'Nothing beyond.'
The South Carolina Supreme Court adjudicates appeals originating from the South Carolina Court of Appeals and directly from every level of trial court.
Answer: False
The South Carolina Supreme Court adjudicates appeals originating from the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Circuit Court.
What is the principal function discharged by the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: To adjudicate appeals and render definitive judgments on legal matters within the state's jurisdiction.
Which of the following subject areas is expressly excluded from the South Carolina Supreme Court's exclusive appellate jurisdiction?
Answer: Appeals from administrative agency decisions.
Beyond the admission of attorneys, what other supervisory responsibilities does the South Carolina Supreme Court exercise concerning the legal profession?
Answer: The disciplining of attorneys.
What is the Latin motto adopted by the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: Nil ultra
Provide an example of a writ that the South Carolina Supreme Court is authorized to issue under its original jurisdiction.
Answer: Writ of Mandamus
To which higher judicial body may appeals from decisions rendered by the South Carolina Supreme Court be escalated?
Answer: The Supreme Court of the United States
The South Carolina Supreme Court was formally constituted in 1971, coinciding with its relocation to its present edifice.
Answer: False
The South Carolina Supreme Court was established in the year 1868. The court transitioned to its current building, formerly a United States Post Office, in 1971.
The edifice housing the South Carolina Supreme Court is situated in Charleston, recognized as the state's most populous municipality.
Answer: False
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building is situated in Columbia, the capital city of South Carolina.
The present South Carolina Supreme Court Building was initially erected for the purpose of serving as a United States Post Office.
Answer: True
The present South Carolina Supreme Court Building was initially erected for the purpose of serving as a United States Post Office.
The architectural character of the South Carolina Supreme Court Building is predominantly identified as Neo-Classical.
Answer: True
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building is a two-story edifice designed in the Neo-Classical architectural style.
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building was officially inscribed onto the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1972.
Answer: True
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1972.
In the period preceding 1971, the court convened within the South Carolina State House, a setting where justices were provided with individual, commodious office spaces.
Answer: False
Prior to 1971, the court occupied approximately 1,400 square feet within the State House. Justices lacked dedicated individual offices and utilized a communal conference room when not presiding over sessions.
The construction phase for the South Carolina Supreme Court Building spanned the years between 1917 and 1921.
Answer: True
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building underwent construction between 1917 and 1921.
In which year was the South Carolina Supreme Court formally established?
Answer: 1868
In which municipality is the South Carolina Supreme Court Building situated?
Answer: Columbia
Prior to its relocation to the current edifice in 1971, what was the preceding location of the South Carolina Supreme Court?
Answer: The South Carolina State House.
The South Carolina Supreme Court Building is inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places; in what year was this designation conferred?
Answer: 1972
What is the predominant architectural style characterizing the South Carolina Supreme Court Building?
Answer: Neo-Classical
What notable characteristic defined the working conditions for justices within the State House prior to 1971?
Answer: Justices lacked individual offices and used a shared conference room.
What is the approximate land area occupied by the South Carolina Supreme Court Building?
Answer: 0.5 acres
A recurring critique leveled against South Carolina's judicial selection framework pertains to its perceived deficiency in transparency.
Answer: True
Commentary has identified the judicial selection process as suffering from a lack of transparency or opacity.
Governor Henry McMaster advocated for modifications to the judicial selection procedures in the year 2022.
Answer: False
Governor Henry McMaster issued a call for reforms to the judicial selection process during his 2023 State of the State address.
The Supreme Court's 2022 adjudication concerning the state's fetal heartbeat legislation served as a precipitating factor for dialogues regarding the reform of judicial selection.
Answer: True
Subsequent to the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling invalidating the state's fetal heartbeat bill due to a violation of the state constitution's privacy rights, state legislators initiated deliberations on judicial selection process reforms.
A significant controversy emerged in late 2007, predicated on allegations concerning the court's alleged manipulation of bar examination outcomes for specific candidates.
Answer: True
In late 2007, controversy ensued following reports that the Supreme Court had altered the examination outcomes for individuals who failed the South Carolina bar exam, including offspring of notable attorneys, by nullifying the results of particular exam sections.
The 2007 bar exam controversy specifically entailed the nullification of results pertaining to the criminal law segment.
Answer: False
The controversy principally concerned the nullification of results for the wills, trusts, and estates section of the bar examination.
What specific judicial decision in 2022 precipitated legislative deliberations concerning the reform of South Carolina's judicial selection mechanisms?
Answer: The Supreme Court striking down the state's fetal heartbeat bill.
What is a frequently cited basis for criticism regarding the judicial selection process employed in South Carolina?
Answer: Lack of transparency or opacity.
The controversy of late 2007 implicated the court in the potential alteration of bar examination results concerning which specific subject domain?
Answer: Wills, Trusts, and Estates